Process of manufacturing gas.



B. VAN STEBNBBRGH.

PBOGBSS OF MANUFACTURING GAS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 6. 1911.

1,124,364. Patented Jan. 12, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

B. VAN STBBNBERGH. PROCESS OE MANUFACTURING GAS.

APPLICATION P'ILED MAY 6, 1911. 1 ,124,3 4, Patented Jan. 12, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SEEK?! 2.

'21 nae/141101 Gum,

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B'UIRJHLAN'S VAN S'JJIEIIEZNBERGi-IH' OF GOSHEN, NEW YORK.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING GAS.

Specification of Letterslatent.

Patented Jan. a2; 1915.

Application filed May 6, 1911. Serial No. 625,467.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, BURHANS VAN STEEN:

: BERGH, a citizen of the United States, re-

siding at Goshen, in the county of Orange and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Processes of Manufacturing Gas, of which the following is afspecification. I This invention relates to a continuous processof manufacturing gas suitable for illuminating, heating, and power purposes. The object of my invention is, more par? ticularly, to provide a continuous process w for generating gas by maintaining the exact temperature in the gas generator whichfiexperience' has provided to produce from 'hydrocarbon oil, such as petroleum or its distillates, the largest possible percentage of high illuminants, such as hydrocarbon giises of the athelene and ethene series-Cn on;

CnH n2without loss by destructive de- "of inferior gas for lighting.

I have discovered by numerous experiments that the necessary exact regulation of" the. heat which will givethe highest grade or quality of illuminating gas, can be easily and economically maintained by a combination of the heat or combustion of carbonor other combustibles together with the heat produced by a proper resistance material in an electric circuit of definite and uniformly maintained strength.

Another object of my invention is to provide for decomposing steam and hydrocarbon oil inproperly regulating proportions in contact withheated surfaces maintained at a constant temperature ranging between 16009 F. and 2000? F., and preferably about 1800 F., for rapidly producing a comparatively large vglume of gas; and then oar bursting or enriching such poor gas by means of the rich hydrocarbon gases made,

in an upper heating zone of the generator by splitting up a suitable hydrocarbon oil into gas of the ethelene and ethene series at a temperature between 800 F. and 850 F.

suitable for the production of such gases without the deposition of hard carbo n lampblack on the one hand or formation of tarry matter on the other hand. The temperaturefor generating gas of high illuminating quality will range between 800 F. and 850 F., according to the gravity of hydrocarbon I oil used.

The matter constituting my invention herein will be defined in the claims.

I will now describe the construction of apparatus suitable for carrying out my" process, by. reference tothe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents 'a' vertical sectional elevation of the generator, comprising the decomposing and fixing chambers and elec-,v trio heaters. Fig. 2 represents .a horizontal sectional view, taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents'jza perspective View of one of the units or sections of the generator,

a portion of said section being broken away to more clearly illustrate the construction. Fig. 4 represents a diagrammatic View, illustrating the manner in which the electric heaters are connected up. Fig. 5 represents,

on enlarged scale, a transverse section of an electric heater, such as shown in "Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 represents, on enlarged scale, a sec- )tional view of an elect-ric'heater of modified construction. 0

The apparatus comprises a series of a1- tenhate electric heating units-internally heated tubes-and fire-clay bars, superposed within non conducting walls, to form a con-' tinuous generator, and suitable electric connections, the electric heating units being employed to continuously maintain the exact degree of heat which will best eifect-the various chemical changes desired in the different zones of the generator.

The generator is composed of a plur ality of superposed units, each unit carrying one or more electrical heatersand' one or more tiles or intercepting members adapted to present avery extended heating surface and cause the superheated steam and the 'vapors ofthe hydrocarbon oil to thoroughly com interior facingor lining of fire-brick. An

injector feed pipe 6 opens into this bottom section for supplying steam andoil or oil vapor. The steam will, preferably, be superheated and be thus used for injecting and atomizing a sufiicient proportion of comparatively heavy hydrocarbon oil, the oil by the catalytic action of the superheated. steam of the coatings on the electric heaters, being split into permanent gases, rich in high illuminants, such as gases of the olefine and perhaps acetylend series. By using electric heat the temperature can be so controlled between 800 F. and 850 F. as

to split the hydrocarbon oils without decomposing the steam. The steam may also be commingled with the requisite proportion of oil vapor and the mixture pre-heated or superheated in a suitable chamber and then supplied in a regulated stream through pipe 6 to the base of the generator. Pipe 6 is provided with a controlling valve (1 for this purpose; and any suitable automatic'regulating device may be used for introducing a continuous stream, at a uniform pressure, of steam and oilvapor into the base, pr oil splitting or decomposing zone of the generator. 4 Each unit circular outer wall 7, made o late iron and having an inwardly-projectin flange 8, 'said flange forming the support or the as bestos insulating lining-9 andl he firefbrick lining 10, the outer edge ofwhich terminates in substantial alinement with the inner edge of the inwardly-projecting flange 8.v One or more tubes 11 (two being. shown in the present instance) pass through the walls of the section and are clamped tightly in place by nuts 12, which bear'against the washers 13, provided'with concave faces adapted to fit the curvature of the shell or-rin'g, 7.

Mounted in each tube is an-electric heater,

.55 which may be constructed in the following manner :Finely-ground silica and finelyground carbonate of lime are mixed with sodium 'silicate'diluted with water and the pasty mass thus formed )iawipedabout or molded around a relativelyahin cardboard cylinder ortube 14', Fig. 5, andthen allowed toharden, The oute'rcoatingisdesignated by 515'. Mounted within the central portion of the tubular member thusformed'is a'imass ei' o-f "granular carbon 16,: and carbon e1ec= section preferably lomprises a trodes 16 and 16 are forced into the ends 7 as above described, serves to insulate. the

. heater from the iron tube and thus prevents short-circuiting. To further insulate the heating member from the tube, suitable di; electric rings or washers 15 are employed, I

being preferably located adjacent to the ends of thetube.

The cardboard will, when the current is passed through the heater, be burned away, becoming carbonized and forming in effect a. part of the electric conductor.

The iron tubes 11 will preferably extend throughthe fire-brick walls of the unit sec-' tions and the cylinders 15 will be slipped through them. 7

Owing to the presence of the granular carbon extending longitudinally through the center of the heaters, and in use of any desired number of tubes, the heat will be 10- calized more or less in the plane of each unit section, across and through which the commingled steam and oil vapor must pass on 1 their way to ator. .Located above the tubes or pipes 11 and' t preferably extending at an angle thereto (in the construction shown, at right angles) is the upper portion of the gener a plurality of tiles or fire-brick bars 17 which become heated to approximately the same degree as the cylindrical heaters and serve by their extended heated surfaces to eflect the splitting of the oil into hydrocarbon gases. I -.Another form of electric heater, consisting of a hollow tube 15*", Fig. 6, five inches, more or less, in diameter, made of fire-clay, burned or baked at a temperature, of about 3,000 degrees, the thickness of the tube tobe not less than one inch, and the hollow filled with granular carbon, and having carbon mstead of the tubes 11'14.-15 above described. The electrodes will compress the .elect rpdes forced into the ends, may be used particles of carbon to a greater'or less e'xtent and thus establish a connection from end to end of the tube.

The body of granular carbon compressed between the ends of the electrodes 16 and 16 form a resistance, by means of which asuc- .cession ofsmall or short electric arcs are produced, thus converting the electric en ergy into h'eatf thereby heating the tube at that part filled with the granular carbon from the inside to the surface. The heatis localized within the fire-brick walls of'the" I generator or unit sections due to the much greater resistariceoifered by the granular carbon than that which is offered by the carbon electrodes, and such localized heat is imparted to adjacent tiles 17 and intervening space, so as to produce substantially uniformly-heated surfaces and zones.

The iron tubes 11, extending through the generator, will be covered with a fire proof paste or wash 18, preferablycomposed of lime and magnesium moistened with a very dilute solution of sodium silicate for preventing the deposition of carbon on the iron. This coating also prevents iron, when heated to incandescence, from spoiling. the illuminating quality of the gas by causing deposition of carbon; it also aids by catalytic action in splitting up the .oil into gases of high illuminating quality. The fire-clay heater-tube, shown in 6, may also be coated with this protecting paste 18.

The commingled steam and oil vapor will pass uniformly around, and in contact with,

the heated surfaces in their fiow up through the decomposing zone of the generator. In case it is desired not to decompose the steam in the zones of the generator, a comparatively low temperature varying between 800 F. and 850 F,', is maintained in the heaters, and the steam will carry the oil vapors in contact with the heated surfaces where the oil vapors will be split up, so as to produce the greatest possible amount of high illuminants of the olefine series.

Each unit section will be provided with a f plurality of lugs or ears 19 which register with similar lugs or ears formed upon the adjacent section or sections in order that the parts may be readily bolted together.

Each section will likewise be provided with outwardly projecting lugs 20 to which chains and hooks or the like may be attached when it becomes necessary to elevate one or more of the sections for the purpose of withdrawing the section below and replacing it by a new section. I

- In assembling the sections they will be so placed that the heaters and tiles of one section will hear at right angles, or substantially so, in relation to the respective heaters and tiles in the sections above and below. There is thus produced in the chamber of the generator numerous tortuous passages through which the, gases must pass from the lower to the upper zone of the generator to the outlet pipe 21, located in the upper section, or, if preferred, in the cap or cover, as shown.

Any desired number of -tile orifire-claY bars 17 may be arranged in checker-brick form between the electric heaters 1416 to provide the desired extent of heatingsur face and to insure that all the-steam and oil vapor are brought into contact with nu'mer ous heated surfaces for efl'ecting thorough and complete splitting. of the oil into'constituent gases, or decomposition and recommay be located at the outlet'of each electric heater, or at suitable points in the wall of the generator to control the temperature by cutting out or cutting in the circuit according to the variations in the temperature. Thus, the temperature may be kept within 7 fixed limits and practically uniform, and so long as the proper quantity of oil vapor and superheated steam are supplied, the process will be a continuous one.

A transformer "29 is also, preferably connected with each set or pair of tubular heaters in a unit section for controlling the electro motive fo'rce, and consequently the temperature in each set of heaters. The heat in the different zones of the generator will be regulated and controlled to the exact degree required for either splitting up the oil into its constituent gases of high illuminating power, or producing decomposition of the steam and oil when a large volume of gas is desired.

Above the middle height .from the base of the generator, about two-thirds of the height, I provide in the wall of the generator, two or more oil supply pipes 30, each having'a valve 0 and a spray or atomizing nozzle d through which a suitable hydrocarbon is supplied to be split into illuminating gases at the appropriate temperature.

The process of making illuminating gas in this apparatus,may be conducted substantially as follows: By supplying or conducting the electric current to the heating tubes in the lowermost three orfour-of the 1 0 unit secti'ons-about two-thirds of the height from the bottomin a properly regulated voltage and amperage, the heatingtubes, particularly the portions within the fire brick lining, containing the granulated carbon, will be' heated to a temperature ran ing between 1600 F. and 2000 F., and pre erably between 1600 F. and 1800 F. At the same time the electric current is conducted to the heating,tubes of the two uppermost unit sections having a voltage and amperage adapted to heat the granular carbon to a temperature ranging between 700 F. and 900 F., so as to heat the ably mingled, is admitted through pipe 6 into the base of the generator. Here a decomposition is etfected by passage of the steam and oil vapor in contact with the heated surfaces at about 1800 F., causing decomposition of the steam by the oxygen thereof combining with carbon in the oil and setting the hydrogen of the steam free; also partially setting free the hydrogenof 16 the hydro-carbon, but pereferably producing a percentage of light carbureted hydrogen or marsh gas ((3H,). This marsh gas or methane will be'retained in the gas at about a white heat, ranging between 1500 F. to 1600 F., and will pass on with the hydrogen and the carbon monoxid resulting from the decomposition of the steam. These highly heated gases pass up ward above the decomposing zone and into the upper or carbureting zone of the generator, comprising two or more of the unit sections at the top of the generator. As-soon as the gases above described are generated,- a supply of suitable hydro-carbon oil or vapor is injected through-the pipes and discharged therefrom in an atomized condition centrally into the heated gasifying space of the generator. The resulting hy-' dro-carbon vapor, will be immediately com-. bined with and carried up by the hydrogen and light carbureted hydrogen into contact with the properly. heated surfaces of ,the heating tubes and tiling in the two or more upper unit section of the generator, where a uniform heat is maintained of about 800 F., sufiicient to produce complete gasification of all of the hydro-carbon introduced through pipes 30. The gasifica'tion here will be 'so complete and uniform that no carbon will be deposited and no volatile or unfixed vapor will be passed off. The fixed illuminating gas will be passed 01f from the outlet pipe 21 to the usual washer or any suitable cleaning apparatus. In continuing this process, thehigh heat of the lower zone or compartmentof the generator is constantly maintained, resulting in the complete decomposition of the steam in reaction with the carbon, without deposit I of lamp-black or hard-carbon on the heating tubes or tiling. There will be no'ash. deposited.

In case-1t is desired to generate only high candle power illuminating gas, and not decompose steam, then all the electric heaters will be heated to a constantly maintained temperature of about 800 F. to 850 F., or at"; that degree which experience shows to best-for. heating the steam so that it will 'xert itscata lyit ic action in aiding to. split petroleu'r'n vapors into the largest pospereentage "of high illuminant gases. su rf a ces of the electric heater, composed of coatig s ofmetallio oxids, such. as o'xid of -calcijttin "andoxid of magnesium iaaaeea mixed with dilute silicate of sodium, will be maintained at the best temperature for exerting the desired catalytic action to produce the largest possible vpercentage of high illuminants from the-hydrocarbon oil used. The hydrocarbon oil or vapor injected by jets of steam through pipes 6 and 30 will be split or resolved into gases, such as ethylene-C 11,; acetyleneC,H,; and methane-CH,,. The heat will never be carried sohighas to cause destructive decomposition of the oil vapors and a resulting deposit of part of the carbon in the form of lamp-black or hard carbon or decomposition of steam. Gasification ofthe hydrocarbon, however will be complete, so that there will belittle subsequent condensable 'matter in the gas after passing from the generator. This is practically, a continuous process for generating illuminating gas of uniform quality or candle-power and withoutwaste of hydrocarbons.

The paratlin hydrocarbons in by far the larger part. of the various samples of American and Russian petroleum constitute the principal, and sometimes almost'the entire, substance, liquid and solid, of these oils and waxes. The gaseous paraflins in their illuminating quality are far inferior to the gaseous hydrocarbons of the olefine series. By aid of properly regulated heat with auxiliary help of catalytics, such as steam and any one or several of the oxids of calcium, barium, strontium or magnesium in a heated state theseparaffins in heated vapors may be split chemically so as to produce large percentages of permanent gases of the olefine series and of the acetylene series, bbth of which are far more powerful asilluminants than are'the parafin gases.

In the usual method of converting petrograde of as I avoid by my above described process 0 making gas.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The continuous process of manufacturing gas, which consists in continuously heating suitable contact material or surfaces to the required gasifying temperature, continuously supplying hydrocarbon oil or vapor in contact with said surfaces and constantly maintaining the temperature at substantially the exact degiee, between 800 and 850 F., for splitting or resolving the hydrocarbons into the largest possible vpercentage of permanent high illuminant gases of the olefine series.

2. The process of manufacturing gas,

which consists in continuously heating con-- tact material and a catalytic agent material, to exert a catalytic action, to the required gasifying temperature between 800 and 850 F., continuously supplying hydrocarbon oil of Vapor in contact with the heated surfaces of said catalytic agents, and con stantly maintaining the temperature at substantially the exact degree for resolvin the hydrocarbons into permanent gases 0 the olefine series having the largest possible percentageof high illuminants. 4

3. The process of manufacturing gas,

which consists in continuously heating re-- fractory material and a catalytic agent material to the required gasifying temperature between 800 and 850 F., continuously supplying and subjecting hydrocarbon oil or vapor, together with a catalytic fluid, to contact with the heated surfaces of a catalytic contact material at a temperature between 800 and 850 F, and constantly maintaining the temperature at substantially the exact degree for causing the hydrocarbons to be resolved in to permanent gases of the olefine series containing the largest possible percentage of high illuminants.

4. The process of manufacturing gas,

which consists in continuously and uniformly heating by a controlled electric current, from within outward, a contact body and a catalytic agent material, to therequi ed gasifying temperature betweenf800 'an 850 F., subjectinghydrocarbon oil or vapor to contact with the heated, catalytic agent material and maintaining the said temperature by the interior electric current, at substantially the exact degree for causing the hydrocarbons to be resolved into permanent gases of the olefine series containing the largest possible percentage of high illuminants.

5. The process 'of manufacturing gas,

which consists in continuously heating a 're-' fracting body and a catalytic contact agent material to a high temperature required for decomposing steam, continuously supplying and subjecting steam and hydrocarbon oil or vapor to contact with said heated cata-v lytic agent material, thereby causing mutual decomposition of the fluids, at the same time. heating other bodies and their catalytic contact agent material to a lower temperature between 800 and 850 F., supplying hydrocarbon oil or vapor thereto while the temperature is maintained substantially at said ously supplying hydrocarbon oil or vapor and steam tp contact with said catalytic agent material in both zones of the generator, and maintaining the temperature of the refractory bodiesand catalytic agent.ma-

terial in the second zone atsubstantially the required degree, between 800 and 850 F., for causing the hydrocarbons to be resolved into permanent gases of the olefine series containing the largest percentage of high illuminant gases.

.In testimony whereof I afiix in presence of two witnesses. r

BURHAN S VAN STEENBERGH, Witnesses:

ELVA D. FoLLE'l'r, J. B. LYDECKER;

my signature 

